{"id":370109,"date":"2026-06-06T12:53:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T10:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germany.10magazine.com\/?p=370109"},"modified":"2026-06-06T18:03:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:03:53","slug":"twenty-years-in-motion-massimiliano-pagliara-opens-an-archive-of-dance-and-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/germany.10magazine.com\/en_gb\/twenty-years-in-motion-massimiliano-pagliara-opens-an-archive-of-dance-and-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"Twenty years in motion: Massimiliano Pagliara opens an archive of dance and memory"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Moving between Italo, dream house, disco, synth-pop and new wave influences, Massimiliano Pagliara’s anniversary compilation on Funnuvojere Records brings together 20 previously unreleased tracks that balance emotional intimacy with dance-floor energy, tracing a journey shaped by movement, memory and discovery.<\/p>\n

Pagliara’s background as a dancer and choreographer remains central to the music’s physicality, informing productions where rhythm, atmosphere and emotional storytelling are deeply intertwined.<\/p>\n

Described as his most personal work to date, “20 Years of Massimo Pagliara” functions as both a celebration of the past twenty years and a testament to the curiosity that continues to drive his work forward.<\/p>\n

Contributions from Alinka, Gatto Fritto, Fabrizio Mammarella and the late A\u00e9rea Negrot (whose distinctive artistic presence remains deeply felt throughout the project) are testament to his collaborative nature, while tracks such as “Flicker Of Us” and “Cool Breeze” reveal a more personal and reflective side of his songwriting.<\/p>\n

We caught up with Pagliara to discuss vulnerability, collaboration, Berlin, and the connection between movement and sound…<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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This release marks 20 years of music production and traces your journey from Milan to Berlin. When you first started making music seriously after working as a dancer and choreographer, what kind of emotional or creative outlet were you looking for?<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the time, music became a way to translate emotions and physical sensations into something lasting. Dance and choreography taught me about movement, tension, rhythm and storytelling through the body, but music opened another dimension, something more intimate and internal. Music can express things words cannot. I was looking for a space where I could create entire emotional worlds on my own, without limitations. Coming from a small town in southern Italy and later moving through Milan and Berlin, music also became a way of processing change, desire, loneliness, freedom and excitement. It was never just about making tracks for clubs; it was about building a personal universe.<\/p>\n

You describe this as \u201cthe most personal music\u201d you\u2019ve ever released. Was there a particular track that felt especially vulnerable or difficult to finish?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, definitely, especially \u201cFlicker Of Us.\u201d It carries very specific memories and moments from my life. When you work on music over many years, certain tracks become connected to people, places and emotions that can be difficult to revisit. At times I almost felt too exposed finishing it. But vulnerability is important in music because people can feel when something is honest. In the end, allowing those emotions to remain in the track without overthinking them became part of the beauty of the process.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a strong cinematic quality running through the compilation, touching on desire, melancholy, ecstasy and nostalgia. Do you think of your music visually, almost like choreography or scene-building?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Very much so. I almost always imagine a certain space and atmosphere, and within that space I feel movement and dynamics. Sometimes it feels like building scenes from an imaginary film or creating emotional landscapes where different characters can exist. My background in choreography probably shaped that instinct. I think a lot about pacing, tension, lightness, drama and contrast, similar to how you would structure movement in dance. Even when I make club tracks, I want them to evoke colours, memories and sensations beyond the dance floor.<\/p>\n

Your background in dance feels deeply connected to the physicality of your productions. How does your experience as a performer still shape the way you build rhythm and movement into a track?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dance is still present in almost everything I do. Because I spent years understanding movement physically, rhythm is deeply connected to the body for me. I pay close attention to how grooves breathe, how tension builds and releases, or how a bassline can completely change the feeling of movement in a room. Even subtle details can affect how people experience a track physically and emotionally. My approach is less mathematical and more instinctive. I feel rhythms in my body before analysing them technically. When I’m in the studio jamming and I feel my body responding to something, I already know I’m onto something good.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Berlin appears throughout the album almost as a character, especially on tracks like \u201cCool Breeze.\u201d How has your relationship with the city evolved over the past two decades?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Berlin changed my life completely. When I first arrived, the city felt raw, open and full of possibilities. There was a strong sense of freedom and experimentation that deeply inspired me creatively and personally. Over the years the city has changed a lot, of course, but so have I. My relationship with Berlin today feels more emotional and reflective. I have so many memories attached to its clubs, long nights and days, friendships, and moments of discovery. Tracks like \u201cCool Breeze\u201d capture some of that romantic and nostalgic feeling, the sensation of wandering through the city late at night or early in the morning, suspended between euphoria and melancholy.<\/p>\n

The compilation moves between intimate home-listening moments and peak-time dance-floor energy. Do you approach those emotional spaces differently in the studio, or do they naturally coexist for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, they naturally coexist. I never consciously separate \u201cclub music\u201d from \u201clistening music\u201d because I\u2019m interested in emotional depth in both contexts. Some tracks begin from a very intimate feeling and later evolve into something more physical, while others start with rhythm and gradually reveal a more emotional side. I love records that work in different ways depending on where and how you hear them, alone at home, through headphones, or surrounded by people on a dance floor at 4am. Those contrasts are very important to me.<\/p>\n

Collaboration seems central to this project, from the late A\u00e9rea Negrot to Alinka and Gatto Fritto. What do you look for in collaborators, and how do they reveal different sides of your own sound?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, collaboration is always about chemistry and trust more than technique. I\u2019m drawn to people with strong personalities and unique emotional languages. Every collaborator brings unexpected energy into the process and often pushes me somewhere I wouldn\u2019t naturally go on my own. Working with A\u00e9rea Negrot, for example, was deeply inspiring because she had such a powerful artistic and emotional presence. Collaborations allow different worlds to meet, and through that process I often discover new dimensions of my own sound.<\/p>\n

Your music draws on Italo, dream house, disco, synth-pop and new wave, but it never feels trapped in nostalgia. How do you balance paying homage to the past with keeping your sound contemporary?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think nostalgia becomes limiting when you simply recreate aesthetics without adding your own perspective. For me, those genres are emotional references rather than strict templates. I grew up listening to many different kinds of music, and those influences naturally became part of my language. But I\u2019m always trying to reinterpret them through my own experiences, production techniques and present-day emotions. I\u2019m interested in timelessness more than retro reproduction, although I do have a soft spot for vintage machines.<\/p>\n

You speak about being excited by new machines and immediately putting them to work. After 20 years of producing music, what still surprises or excites you in the studio?<\/strong><\/p>\n

What still excites me most is the feeling of discovery. A new machine, an unexpected sound from an old synth, a mistake, or an unusual combination can suddenly open an entirely new emotional direction. That magic never disappears. I still love those moments when you lose track of time because you’re completely absorbed in sound. Technology evolves constantly, and sometimes I feel slower than it does, but what keeps me inspired is the possibility of discovering new emotions and sonic landscapes through it. Curiosity is essential to staying creative over a long period of time. It’s also why I continue collaborating with new artists, to keep challenging and reinventing myself.<\/p>\n

This release feels very connected to ideas of pleasure, freedom and emotional release through music. What do you hope people feel when they hear these tracks together for the first time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hope people can feel honesty and emotional openness in the music. More than anything, I want the compilation to create a sense of connection, whether that’s joy, nostalgia, desire, melancholy, freedom or simply escape. Music has always been a place of transformation for me, a kind of shelter where people can lose themselves, heal, dream or feel understood without words. If listeners can travel emotionally through these tracks and create their own memories within them, then I’ll be happy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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